The Museum of the Bigallo

The Madonna of Mercy, detail

This small but delightful collection of works of art that belonged to the
Company of the Bigallo was first put on display in 1976. The museum is situated
in the Loggia, the oratory and some of the ground
and first floor rooms of the palace that stands on the corner between Via
Calzaiuoli and Piazza San Giovanni. It contains a series
of devotional works that form a homogenous collection and illustrate the
life of the Confraternity over the centuries. Some of the more important
works include a painted Crucifx by the Maestro del Bigallo (mid 13th century),
a portable triptych by Bernardo Daddi dated
1333 (Madonna and Child with 14 Saints), a Madonna and Child by Alberto
Arnoldi (1361), the coat of arms of the Altoviti family carved by Desiderio
da Settignano (1450 circa), a Madonna by Jacopo del Sellaio (1480 circa)
and paintings by Ridolfo del Ghirlandaio (1515).
The oratory contains the remains of sinopites and frescoes, carried out
in 1363-64 by Nardo di Cione and his workshop, which were found behind the
carved altar (the work of Noferi d'Antonio) that in 1515 covered most of
the wall. However the most famous work in the museum is a fresco of 1342
dedicated to the Madonna of the Misericordia, carried out by the workshop
of Bernardo Daddi, pupil of Giotto. This
fresco, painted on a wall of the Room of the Captains, is the oldest known
representation of Florence, showing its mediaeval towers and monuments,
including the Baptistery and an interesting view of
the Cathedral during the construction of Santa Maria
del Fiore. The old cathedral of Santa Reparata was
still standing so that here we can pick out its saddle roof, two belltowers
and lateral single light windows. Parts of Giotto's Belltower and
the facade of Santa Maria del Fiore, as it had been
conceived and left by Arnolfo at the time of his death in 1302, can also
be seen.